Erasmus alumna Josje Stoel connects art and culture with context

Josje Stoel began her career at art school, where she trained as an illustrator. However, her interests were much broader than just being an artist. "I missed the challenge. I wanted to understand the content as well as the organisational side," she says. She decided to study cultural economics at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication after art school, where she complemented her artistic outlook with solid knowledge of management, marketing, and finance. "That combination proved to be worth its weight in gold. I was able to start working immediately after my master's, first in cultural communication, later in programming, project management, and fundraising."

From communication to content

Anyone who speaks with Stoel immediately notices her boundless energy and enthusiasm. Stoel soon noticed that more was possible than just writing press releases or creating marketing campaigns. She was increasingly asked to develop content programmes and generate funding, with a particular interest in linking them to social issues. "I wanted to use culture to connect, to facilitate encounters, to give young people and other target groups a place and a voice."

A good example is the Youth Biennial in Rotterdam-Zuid, where Stoel worked as a programmer and was also responsible for fundraising for the project. Together with architects, young people created a freerun course on a vacant lot and a circular meeting place above a busy road next to a large shopping centre. "In locations where young people were looked down upon, so this was really something that was needed," she says. "The project was about ownership, really being able to make something that was their own, where pride and self-confidence were fostered."

Context is everything

What stands out about Stoel's approach is her keen eye for context and her ability to make encounters happen. For her, art is not an isolated object in a white cube but something rooted in a place—geographically, socially and emotionally. At De Grote Kerk Veere, she organises projects, exhibitions, and performing arts productions that relate to local history and the community. "We work with renowned artists and organisations such as the Nederlands Dans Theater and Amsterdam Sinfonietta, in a context where connection with residents, young people, volunteers, the elderly, and children is central. They co-create, and thus it thrives. Culture thus becomes everyone's business."

Under her leadership, De Grote Kerk grew into an example of how heritage, culture and community building can reinforce each other. Whether it involves exhibitions by internationally renowned artists, modern dance performances with AZC youth, connecting projects with the elderly, interactive heritage exhibitions or installations made from archaeological finds, the central question is always: how can we truly connect with different target groups?

At the policy level, Stoel also knows how to bring different interests and domains together. In her role at Stichting Monumentenbezit, she develops concepts for monuments in which heritage is not only preserved but regains meaning through participation, presentations, and digital innovation. She moves smoothly between policymakers and residents and translates abstract policy goals into concrete working practices and vice versa.

Sacred cows

But that doesn't always come naturally. Fundraising remains a challenge, precisely because her projects do not easily fit into existing categories. "There are funds that want to see visitor numbers and activities completed exactly in advance. But truly meaningful projects develop organically and are demand-driven, based on the needs of the target group. You can't finalise them in advance. I work from practice, not from a blueprint. By listening carefully, trying things out together, and making adjustments, what is needed comes about." According to Stoel, although policymakers often talk about an "integrated approach", practice shows the opposite. "It is still often the social domain versus culture or economy versus culture." Still, she hopes for and notices a small turnaround. "There is indeed a growing awareness among funds and governments that precisely this connecting form of culture is badly needed and that it will be necessary to look across policy areas. However, the subsidy application process in governments is often not yet equipped for this."

Art taking root in society

As an alumna of Erasmus University, Stoel advocates for more practical experience in the curriculum. "It would be beneficial to let students experience more extensively how culture really works in practice, for example, how they can develop a programme based on needs and in collaboration with certain target groups. Then they can ultimately be the ones who truly start working in an integrated manner." She also sees an important role for research that looks beyond visitor numbers and focuses on the quality of encounters, the experience, and social impact.

During the Association for Cultural Economics International (ACEI) conference, Stoel will present this vision as a panellist: "Art and culture only become truly meaningful when they take root in the community. It has to touch, connect and resonate, as far as I'm concerned."